Diamond in the Rough
by RK-Boogeyman
Summary: Gloria really wants to have a Pokemon of her very own so she doesn't have to depend on her mother's Herdier, Garbo all the time. Finally given some Pokeballs, she sets out to the nearby area in hopes of finding just the right companion, Garbo in tow. A strange turn of events will change her life forever and give her a unique Pokemon companion.


It was a beautiful autumn day. It was warm with a gentle breeze. The sky was so clear and so blue. The smell was crisp with that special autumn smell: leaves, wood, smoke flying free from fireplaces throughout the town and along the route. I could hear the melodious cries of Nincada in the far off distance, even through the closed window.

Yes, all of that was outside, and I sat inside, oblivious to it all. I sat in the overstuffed chair in an awkward and lazy pose, one leg over the left arm. I had a bag of potato chips propped between the arm and my other leg. Sprawled out as I was, it was obvious that I was definitely not very…lady like. As I munched on the salty snack, I aimlessly flicked through channels with the remote control. I had to fight with it a little. It was a new universal; a necessity after Garbo, our Herdier, chewed up the remote that had come with the television. She chewed up everything. I could hear that annoying grumble and chewing and slobbering noise behind me as she likely gnawed on some toy.

Don't get me wrong, I love that bundle of fur. It's just hard to concentrate on these same, boring channels if she is chewing and making mouthy noises. I was already annoyed about the lack of things on television. Pokémon League highlights were on one channel, a cartoon on another and some news interview on yet another. There was always something on regarding Pokémon. There were training tips and snippets about types and strategies. A Skitty came up on the screen and seemed to have caught Garbo's beady little eyes. She growled and hopped in her idiotic manner to the side of the chair and barked at the image.

"Garbo, hush!" I scolded. "It's not real! You can't chase it! It's on TV, you dope. _TV!_" I let out another annoyed sigh as she continued to growl. It was cute when she was a Lilipup. It's just…downright aggravating now.

"Stop yelling at her," my mother scolded gently. "One day, you'll be glad that she's so hyper vigilant." I looked around, very awkwardly, behind the chair to see her drying a dish. She was the stay-at-home type and seemed to only be capable of conversation whilst in the midst of cleaning…something. Sometimes, she spoke with a duster, another time, it would be the dish, like now. Sometimes, she'd be polishing silv…oh, you get the idea. She was thorough and happy to be that way.

"Hyper vigilant for _what_?" I asked before releasing the tension in my muscles and nearly boinging back into that original sprawled position, facing the television. Garbo let out a bark and leapt onto my torso, knocking over the potato chips and hopping about my body. She licked my face and I sputtered as that nasty drooly mustache dipped into my protesting mouth. _Yuck_! "Garbo, get _off_!" The spring from my body wasn't any less annoying. It knocked the wind out of me. The whole ruckus knocked over the chips, as I said, and they spilled all over the floor. Dutifully, Garbo was quick to gobble them up off the carpet, sucking up crumbs and leaving no trace of the accident.

"Marauding potato chips?" My mother suggested with a laugh. She sure seemed to find the whole thing funny. I didn't. "Why are you even in here?" She asked. "Go outside and play. It's such a beautiful day."

"Play what?" I asked. What can I say? I was in a lazy mood.

"Look for Deerling," she suggested. They were rather commonplace in the meadow and along the tree line of the woods. "How about…just going for a _walk_?" She made that last suggestion with a bit more emphasis."

Walk? Gabro's ears perked and she darted for the door so fast that…she ran into it, face first. She just couldn't stop in time. What a dumb Pokémon. Still, it made me laugh as I sat up and watched the whole scene over my shoulder as I stretched. It looked like I had been out-voted. Up I got and put on my windbreaker.

Once outside, Garbo's tongue lolled from her mouth and she tore off through the fallen leaves. They flew up from the gust she left behind. My mother handed me a small backpack. I smiled, kissed her cheek, and accepted the bag. I assumed she packed a small picnic for Garbo and me. It likely also had a few necessities.

"Go, my little trainer," she teased. I smirked, rolled my eyes, and waved as I attempted to find a way to walk without tripping over Garbo's insane and scattered running fits. She was small, but she had a head like a rock. As for my mother's comment, she had wanted me to venture off like a lot of the other kids and pursue something involving Pokémon. Don't get me wrong, I love Pokémon, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to run around hunting and battling…and hearing about how comfortable everyone's shorts were. Frankly, the closest I'd ever get would be if something popped out of the tall grass while Garbo was with me.

Garbo stopped short, only to fall flat on her face in the dirt. Her attempt to turn on a dime to chase a Pidove that had landed to examine the feeder had failed. Maybe…it wouldn't hurt so much, after all, to look for a Pokémon of my own. Garbo was more of my mother's Pokémon anyway. I think I'd want something more interesting, more useful, …and less clumsy.

Garbo and I walked along the path, avoiding the tall grass for the time being. I watched her, now that she was at a more agreeable pace. Her mouth was so wide open and her tongue still lolled out, drool dripping from the end. She panted so heavily and it almost sounded like a _ha ha_. It actually made me smile. She looked up at me and gave her eyes a squint as if to emphasize how happy she was to be out and about.

We walked past a pond and Garbo stopped to take a drink. It gave me the chance to look around and decide what the next plan of action would be. Going home wasn't an option. My mother would just shoo me out. I didn't want to bother my father at work. There was a meadow not far from the pond and a big hill. I figured that a picnic would be a good idea, after all. To be sure, I whisked my bag around and looked inside. My assumption had been correct. There was a nice little picnic and a little blanket. There were two fizzy sodas, a small dish and a bottle of water, presumably for Garbo. There was a first aid kit which contained the normal human first aid items as well as some Pokémon first aid, such as antidotes. There were also three Pokéballs.

"Honestly…" I sighed aloud. Garbo perked and looked at me. I took one out and held it to her face. "Can you believe Mom put these in there?" Garbo simply tilted her head as if either confused about my annoyance all together or by the Pokéballs. After all, she rarely went into hers. She immediately began to sniff around and wag her tail. Since she was going in the direction I had planned, I simply followed behind curiously. She perked and let out a bark and then a yelp before fleeing towards me and out of the grass. Right behind her was a Meowth. It leapt from the grass and bounded after my Herdier. They wound and wound about my legs, causing me to grow dizzy. Bravely, I reached down and snatched the feline Pokémon up by the scruff. It drooped and looked at me with a little meow and a big grin. This one was tame.

An older woman bred Meowth in town, so it was pretty easy to narrow down the owner of this one. I didn't see the woman anywhere, so that left one other person. "Carlos!" I called. I held the Meowth out as if it were a dirty rag and glared at the grass as the boy stood up.

"You caught me!" He laughed. He was maybe three years younger than I was. His hair was short brown, he had dark eyes, and he like to laugh and scare the little girls of the area…a lot. "That was a good one, wasn't it? Did I scare you?"

"No," I replied flatly. I dropped his Meowth and it frolicked back to his side. "You need to be careful. You can't just be goofing off in the grass like that."

"It's okay," he insisted. "I got Pokémon to protect me. I got Oscar!" That's what he called his Meowth. "And I also got _this_!" He held out a Pokéball proudly. I stared at it with no expression at first. Then, I finally got curious and came closer.

"You caught something else?"

"Yep!" He cheered. "I caught it over the summer and it got big and strong! Do you know what it is? Huh? Huh?"

Garbo let out a bark and sat up. She bobbed her forelegs in a begging manner. Was she curious about the mystery Pokémon too? Or was it perhaps…that she was a complete idiot and thought it was a toy ball? You never knew with that one. Still, I _did_ want to know what Carlos had caught. He had spent his summer with his father in another region. I didn't know which one, so the Pokémon in the ball could have really been anything.

"Say [i]please[/i]!" He taunted as he gave the ball a little rock in front of my face. I grumbled and huffed as I crossed my arms. Carlos was just so annoying.

"…Please…"

He laughed and gave the Pokéball a little toss. Garbo, fool that she was, went chasing it that short distance. It clicked and it opened and out came the red light as it took the form of the inhabitant. Unable to stop myself, I let out a scream and fell backwards onto the ground. Garbo too let out a yelp and ran to me, but then turned back with a growl. Carlos pointed and laughed so hard, he hiccupped. Beside him was a beedrill. It turned its…ugly bug-eyed head to the side in a tilt and made a little buzzy noise. Yuck, I _hated_ bug Pokémon! Butterfree and Beautifly were the only exception. Everything else was so…gross!

"I scared you! I scared you!" Carlos cheered. "Glo is scared of a Beedrill!" He said that last part in a teasing sing-song manner. He then turned to the ugly thing. "Hey, Juju, whattaya know?! We scared Glo!" That little poetic rhyme just annoyed me further.

"What is wrong with you?!" I accused. "It's a giant _bug_!"

"Hey, bug Pokémon can be great Pokémon too!" Carlos defended as he gave the Beedrill a stroke. "Don't listen to her, Juju. She's just mad cuz she doesn't _have_ any Pokémon."

"I have Garbo!" I shouted. I don't know why I was stupid enough to take the bait.

"Garbo is your mommy's Pokémon. You don't have any of your own Pokémon. I have_ two_. I bet you don't even know how to battle."

"I don't have time for this!" I spat. I attempted to walk past him but he began taunting again. It grated my nerves. I spun around angrily. "Fine! Will a battle shut you up?!"

Carlos seemed a little surprised at first, but then grew a smirk. "Yeah. Show me what you got."

"I only have my herdier so you can only pick _one_ of yours!" Silly me… I had hoped he'd pick the Meowth. Obviously, Oscar wasn't going to be on this battle's roster. He picked Juju…that stupid Beedrill. Of _course_ he did.

I honestly had no idea if Garbo had ever battled another trainer's Pokémon before. I had never paid much attention to what my mother did with her. She had to have done _something_ with her for Garbo to have evolved. I didn't know what any of her battle moves were. It was then I realized just how bad off I was.

Carlos motioned for Juju to face us. Garbo hopped forward and snarled. "Juju, use _Attract_!" Carlos shouted. I perked curiously. Garbo perked curiously. Nothing happened. After about a minute of silence, aside from Garbo's growl and Juju's buzz, I realized that the attack had failed.

"Uhm, okay…" Now, what? "Garbo, use…_something_!" Yeah, that sealed it. I was bad trainer material. I didn't know a thing about this Pokémon. She looked at me a moment with an expression I swear could have translated to "Are you freakin' kidding me?" However, she wasn't as dumb as I thought. She lunged for the Beedrill and took a big bite and zapped it with some mysterious power. Juju steamed a moment and dropped. It looked pathetic.

"Juju!" Carlos cried. "No, get up! You killed my Beedrill!"

"Get a hold of yourself!" I scolded. "It's just paralyzed. You're lucky. Garbo has a nasty habit of chewing things."

"You cheated! Your Herdier knows _Thunder Fang_!" I rolled my eyes at his whining. Garbo simply sat down, scratched her ear, and then darted into the grass. Carlos forfeited. I didn't have a paralyze heal vile in my bag, so it looked as if the Pokémon center would be the next stop. Yeah, I'd have to go. He'd demand it. Juju went back into the Pokéball and Carlos wiped his eyes.

"Relax, Carlos," I sighed. "Juju will be fine. The Pokémon Center is just over there. He'll be back to his normal, disgusting self in no time." This seemed to make him feel better. We just came back to the former side of the pond before we heard Garbo's insane barking again.

We both turned to see a monstrous shadow zip out of a particularly tall patch of grass. I had never seen anything that big around these parts before. Apparently, Carlos hadn't either. I wiped my eyes as the sun gleamed around its frame and cast it into a sort of shadow. I let out a gasp when I realized this giant Pokémon was…a _Beautifly_! Impossible! Beautifly were not much bigger than Carlos' Beedrill, yet this one was three times the size!

It hovered over us. Garbo kept jumping and snapping in hopes of grabbing onto it. It began to flap its wings harder, sending a powerful gust towards Garbo. It blew her back and rolled her like a tumbleweed into the pond. The force held her under. "_Garbo_!" I cried out. As clumsy as she was, I never wanted anything bad to happen to her. I was powerless and Carlos' Beedrill was paralyzed! Suddenly, we heard a loud hiss and a gold coin bonked the massive Beautifly on the head. It slowed its flapping and looked towards… That's right! Carlos still had his Meowth, Oscar!

"Go get it, Oscar!" Carlos and I cheered. Oscar hissed again and leapt up to scratch at the buggy face. It was definitely enough of a distraction for Garbo to resurface, climb out of the pond, and shake herself. She charged just as the Beautifly whipped its long tubed mouth at Oscar. I dove forward to catch him. He was unhurt. He was up on my head in the next instant and leapt towards the big bug again. Another scratch got the right wing. Garbo was finally able to grab it, now that it had lost height. We could only watch as the Pokémon attacked this threat without relenting.

I don't think either of us had ever seen a dead Pokémon before. There it was, though – a big, dead Beautifly. Oscar sauntered back proudly and recollected his coins. Garbo was still swinging her head from side to side as she chewed on the carcass. "Ew! Garbo, stop it! Stop it!" The dumb thing tried to drag the body with her. I admit, I was impressed to see her drag the thing as far as she did.

Quickly, we ran towards the center of town and the Pokémon Center. We stopped just outside to catch our breath. I realized that my mother was right. Garbo knew something odd was nearby and fought to protect me. Perhaps she wanted to chew it, but regardless, she protected us…with serious help from Oscar. Speaking of Garbo, she finally scuttled up, having been lagging behind. She held up a big piece of the Beautifly happily and even pranced about to show it off to anyone nearby.

Inside the Pokémon center, there was a small line. A woman was talking to Nurse Joy. Complaining would be a better word. I'm not sure why. When Nurse Joy returned two Pokéballs to her, a little boy and a little girl rushed over to collect them from her. Immediately, they released their Pokémon to play. Looked like an Espeon and Umbreon. Either one of those would be a really neat Pokémon to have.

"Welcome to the Pokémon center," came Nurse Joy's voice. "Can I help you?" When I turned to face her, Carlos was already handing over the Pokéball containing the Beedrill. He also called Oscar back and presented that pokeball as well. Garbo wandered over to the children with the Espeon and Umbreon. She tried to play, only to get an annoyed bop on the head from the Umbreon. It didn't seem to hurt her. She tried to show off the bit of bug, and that was the end of the game. The kids grabbed their Pokémon and ran to the woman. The Pokémon, however, peeked about their masters' shoulders to look as they were taken away.

"Garbo, drop it," I ordered. Instead, she pranced about the center to show it off. I left Carlos to try and take the thing from her. She began to frolic about with it then. This was a fun game to her. It wasn't to me. Thankfully, sometimes, she could be as dumb as a brick, and she slammed into the legs of another patron. He let out a cry and bent over to rub his shin and suck in a breath. As I said, Garbo had a hard head. She wagged her tail and tried to show off her prize again. The man wore glasses and a lab coat. One of those scientists…

His eyes went wide when he saw the bit of bug in Garbo's mouth. "What is that?"

"The biggest Beautifly I've ever seen," I told him. "She's proud of it and I can't get her to give it up."

"Your Herdier isn't very obedient, is she?" He asked.

"She's more my mother's Herdier. I don't have any Pokémon."

He nodded and then he grabbed onto the piece of carcass and, despite some protest from Garbo, he was able to free it from her and take a look. He fiddled with his glasses a moment and then looked to me. "Where did you find it?"

"By the pond," I replied. "I can show you."

He agreed and, now that my obligation to Carlos was over, I led the scientist, named Lewis, I think, to the carcass. It was still there. He whipped out a pocket camera to take pictures and then took notes. "It is very big. I'm surprised you didn't catch it."

Catch it? Oh, no! I forgot that I had Pokéballs! I _should_ have caught it! Why didn't I?! Oh, right, because I was terrified of it. I don't care if it is an exception to my bug Pokémon hatred, that thing was way too big. "Do you know why it's so big?"

"Not offhand," he admitted. "There are Pokémon that get horribly big…giant, really. It's very rare, though." He laughed. "You could have caught it and taught it _Fly_."

I was not amused. "Yeah, well, I didn't catch it."

He fiddled with his glasses again and stood up. "I'm going to take this back to the lab to study. It's such a nice specimen…save the parts your Herdier chewed. I'd say it gained a lot of experience from an opponent this big." Lewis bent down to pet Garbo, much to her delight. "If you run into a few more battles, I wouldn't be surprised if it evolved."

Terrific. I rolled my eyes. The last thing I needed to encourage my mother of my "need to become a trainer" would be to come home with Garbo as a Stoutland. "Thanks," I said politely. "I'm not interested in battling anything else. I just want to go to my picnic. That is…if I don't have to worry about another giant bug trying to get me."

Lewis grinned, "I doubt it. As I said, giant Pokémon are very rare. You'd likely have more luck finding a legendary than another giant."

Garbo began to bark and run about again. I bid Lewis a farewell and left the dead giant to him. I was then on my way to the hill beyond the meadow. Needless to say, I was a little anxious. You don't just forget something like that thing. However, I was soon at ease again. The only Pokémon I saw from there on out were mostly Pidove, a Purrloin or two, some Deerling, and one Sawsbuck. I almost wanted to catch the Purrloin. Its dark colors and yellow contrast were just so attractive. I decided I was in no mood to weaken it and head back to the Pokémon center. I decided just getting to my destination on the hill was best.

Once there, I set up the blanket and made sure that Garbo had something to eat and some water in the dish provided. I then got comfortable to enjoy the lunch and fizzy soda provided to me by my mother. It really _was_ a nice day. I can't believe I had almost missed it. My gloomy mood from earlier had gone entirely. I felt uplifted and relaxed. I would have laid myself back, but that would have left me open to the drooly kisses of my Herdier. She was running up and down the hill happily. It made me a little nervous. I didn't want her to be sick, after all.

Before I knew it, the sky began to turn orange. Was it really sun set already? Had I really passed _that_ much time? I stood and looked around. I could see the city in the distance. It stood as a shadowed skyline during the day, but as dusk crept in, I could see the glimmering lights. It was the signal to start home. Granted, I didn't live too far away, but it was still a good hike. It was enough to walk about during the day, and another matter entirely once it became dark.

I packed up the blanket and the dish. I also put the trash in my bag as well. There weren't exactly any trash cans way out here. I stopped suddenly and listened quietly. I could have sworn I heard something. There it was again, that strange rustling. The hill didn't have tall grass, so I could see very clearly. There were no wild Pokémon in my sights. I looked to Garbo. She perked, so I know she heard it too, yet she didn't move. I followed the noise and tried to place it. It sounded like dirt hitting dirt. Well, that was the sound of little tunnels Garbo would dig once they began to collapse. I didn't see a hole, however.

I walked carefully with the bag now slung on my back where it belonged. I then saw a small patch of dirt. It was hardly noticeable and easily missed, but I saw it. The dirt was cracked a little. Visually, it wasn't that odd. It hadn't rained in a bit, so the ground could very well have started to dry out. That, however, was where the dropping dirt sound came…muffled. I got on all fours and then poked at the cracking earth. A small hole poked through. I gasped. There was…an opening! Was something…digging underneath me?

I stood up carefully, not wanting to upset the fragile ground. One step…then two…and up came Garbo! She hopped up on her hind legs and began to hop. She caught me by surprise and I fell backwards. I heard the ground give way and I let out a cry as I fell back, unable to see where I would end up.

I opened my eyes. Oh, I was so sore. I could see the moon overhead. It seemed so far away. It was so dark now. Had I been unconscious? It had only felt like a moment, but apparently it had been much longer. The little bit of moonlight filtered in to the deep cavern, but only just barely. I sat up and rubbed my head as I looked around and back up to the top of the hole. "Oh, Gloria…" I scolded myself. "Now, what are you gonna do?"

It was so dark. It would have been nice if my nickname had been an ability. Glo would sure be useful. I heard shuffling, which pulled me from my thoughts. I saw a glint here and there. I heard husky breathing. I let out a sigh and tried to calm my heart. "Garbo, you startled me." It would figure that she'd follow me down. Perhaps, she fell too. Perhaps, she was too dumb and hopped down rather than go for help. Well, maybe not so dumb. Who knew what sort of things would be lurking in the cavern. She was the loyal sort.

I watched her glistening eyes. I couldn't really see her, but I could smell her. She just had that….dog smell. I could hear her paws scratching on the ground. I could hear her raspy breathing and quiet whimpers. I crawled over to her and reached out a hand into the darkness to pet that little mop. Well…she wasn't so little anymore. She seemed a bit taller now. I pulled my hand back and wiped it on my pants. Gross. She was so wet and muddy. I could hear water dripping somewhere in the dark, so I assumed she had gone to whatever underground oasis was nearby for a drink or a game.

I stood up and began to pat my clothes. I couldn't see if it made any difference or not. One last glance at the hole seemed to verify that I would likely not be getting out the same way that I came in. I reached out carefully and tried to feel for some sort of wall. The cavern was vast. Surely, for something like this, there had to be a cave entrance somewhere. How bothersome. The walk didn't bother me. I knew there was a cave entrance somewhere in the area, just not so close. The issue was the inability to see. The journey would take so much longer if I had to creep along like that.

A felt a hole and began to stumble. Garbo, however, gave me a hard nudge. It changed the direction of my stumble and…I found a wall! "Can you see in the dark, Garbo?" I asked her. I reached out to pet her again. Indeed, she was taller. Perhaps, it was like Lewis said. Perhaps she had battled something in the cave while I was blacked out. Perhaps, she had evolved. I amused myself with the thought of her carrying me home draped over her back. I dismissed the thought with a chuckle. Even though Stoutland were a bit larger, it wasn't by _that_ much. Still, they were strong Pokémon. Apparently, they were also very keen to the dark. I felt her push and nudge this way and that against my legs to guide me about the obstacles. Her snarls kept the chirping woobats at bay. Her body and paws dragged and scratched on the ground. Anything along the ground would know she was there between us too. I felt rather safe and, for the first time, I trusted her so completely.

I stopped to rest, often. I wasn't severely hurt in the fall, but I did hurt. I was also growing tired. I had no concept of time in that void. I know it felt like forever. At one point, I even dozed. Again, I have no idea how long. It could have been hours. It could have been a few minutes. The snort woke me up. I reached out and grabbed a handful of the wet and muddy fur. She yanked herself forward with a grunt. It was enough to pull me to my feet. Then, there was more walking. I held onto Garbo for a while. She walked with a strange waddle. I began to wonder if perhaps she had gotten hurt in the fall. If so, she made no real sign of it. I couldn't see for sure. She was quieter than normal. She was also tense and cold. Well, I couldn't blame her. It was rather chilly in the cavern. It was also full of little mysterious noises. I was rather tense, myself.

"Are we almost there?" I whined and slouched after what felt like several more hours. I felt her duck back and then she rammed me forward. I didn't want to fall on my face, so I scrambled about. I was able to keep my balance, but I was surprised how aggressive Garbo had become. The nudging wasn't so strange. There was also a certain level of pushiness that was familiar. This level, however, was just so hard. She must've been just as eager to go home as I was. I fell to my knees, luckily in a clear spot and whimpered.

"I wish you knew_ Flash_!" I cried. She let out a gurgle and I heard a clicking sound. When I opened my eyes…I could see! I smiled so wide that my mouth was open as much as it could be. "Ha _ha_!" I cheered and began to hurry forward. I could see some glimmering around a bend. I hurried around that bend and stopped short. It…was a dead end. We…had gone in the wrong direction. Normally, I'd have been furious. That stupid Herdier…or…Stoutland…or _whatever_ she was now…led me in the _wrong_ direction.

I couldn't seem to understand how furious I should have been, though. My mind seemed to go blank for a long moment as I took in the "room." Rainbows. There were rainbows everywhere. It…was so beautiful. The light from_ Flash_ radiated enough to bounce off a whole horde of gems. It was like some painting out of a storybook about dragons. There were gems everywhere: in the rocky walls, dangling like stalactites, and piled up all over the ground. Prisms…all of them, and the gloomy cavern was painted with such a radiant display of colors. The whole spectrum, all of it melded and wove this way and that.

Garbo let out a huff behind me. I went closer to the horde to examine all the different gems. I looked down after stepping on something. I picked it up and realized it was a bone. It was broken. It was then that I realized that there were several bones strewn about. Some were broken like the one I had initially found. Some of them were chewed, some were whole, but all were picked clean. On a rock shelf was a skull. I assumed it was human yet hoped I was wrong. In the empty sockets sat a pair of gems embedded so carefully.

I reached out to touch the skull nervously. It was then that I noticed the red on my hand. I had picked up the bone with my left hand. I touched the skull with my right. I swallowed hard and looked closer, wondering if the mud had been some type of red clay. It just didn't seem to be the right color. I felt a wave of nervousness fall over me and I looked down to my pants and the red smears. It was then that I realized…Garbo…no matter what evolutionary stage she was in…was unable to learn _Flash_.

It…began to come together and I was afraid to turn around. I could hear the huffing there. I swallowed hard and looked at the large gems in front of me. My eyes went wide and I felt the terror rise. I could see…the reflection. The whole time... The whole time that I wandered the cavern… I had thought that perhaps Garbo was an idiot leading me this way. It was intentional. It…was a _trap_!

I pressed my eyes shut and then looked at the reflection again. I could feel the pain in my lungs as I realized I had been holding my breath. I had to force that stammering exhale. I…had to face that form. Slowly, I turned around and trembled at the confirmation. Garbo…hadn't evolved. She hadn't even led me all this way. She had been so tense and so cold…because…I had been handling a corpse. Her body dangled, not muddy, but bloody between strong jaws. The glimmering had not been Garbo's eyes, not her drool…but the eyes and glimmering ornamentation that I watched my own fearful reflection staring back at me. The noises, the nudges…they came from…a Sableye.

He had been slinking about, and now he stood with Garbo still in his mouth. He snarled a little. The gems he had for eyes glimmered. Slowly, I began to pull off my bag. I still had Pokéballs left. Maybe…he was a jealous sort and wanted to come with me. That's…the hope that I kept telling myself. He had led me along…showing me the horde. It obeyed my request for _Flash_. It could have attacked in the dark, yet it didn't.

"S-stay there," I urged quietly as I knelt down slowly and began to rustle in the bag. He tilted its head curiously with a gurgle. He was huge. Sableye were not common to these parts and normally stood a little over a foot in length. Not this grand daddy. He was almost as large as I was, a good five feet. Like the Beautifly I had seen before, this Sableye was a giant for his kind.

As I pulled the Pokéball from the bag, he dropped Garbo's lifeless body and stretched himself closer, as if warily examining the ball. He licked his bloody face with his long tongue and gabbed his mouth a bit. After hours of holding his prey, he likely felt the relief of being able to move his jaw freely again. I gave the Pokéball a toss and it simply bounced off his head and rolled along the ground. He looked at it a moment and then began to pace. Each pace led him closer and closer.

I backed up until I pressed against the rocky wall and slid down to the ground. "Please, stop," I whispered pleadingly. I shut my eyes tight only to feel those claws stroke my face and pry them open. It was unnerving, being so close to that face. His breath smelled like rot. He then hopped back and gave a little sneeze. He hurried to the pile of gems and began to dig.

I could breathe again, though. Perhaps, I was right. Maybe, Garbo's death was due to her trying to fight him off. Maybe, he was just very territorial. Maybe the bones were from ancient people. I thought of all sorts of explanations to calm myself. I had to think of these logical things. If I didn't, I'd be stuck wondering about the frightening and negative things. Would I ever get out of this place? Would I ever see the sun again? Would I ever see my parents? I'd even be happy to see Carlos and his ugly bug this point.

Crunching caught my attention. I looked over and saw the Sabeleye perched atop his mound of gems. He munched and munched so casually. His teeth screeched along the gemstones a little. It reminded me of silverware against a plate or a nail on a chalkboard. There weren't any other sounds to distract from it. By now, I was breathing almost normally all together. He seemed so happy to eat the gems. I rested my head back with a sigh and closed my eyes. In the next instant, however, something was shoved in my face. I actually nearly choked. The Sableye had shoved a big gem in my face in an attempt to force feed me. I spit it out and I coughed, confusing him.

"No!" I shouted. "I don't eat that! No!" After a long silence, I sighed. "Please, I want to go home. Take me back out."

He didn't seem to like that. It was evident by the scowl on his face. He hurried over to Garbo's body and brought it to me. He shoved her at my face, trying again to feed me. Again, I spit and sputtered and began to cough. He put her down and flopped own in a squat with a huff.

"I want to go home," I repeated. "You…can come too…if you want." Maybe that would sweeten the deal a bit. He didn't seem too keen on leaving, however. He glanced at his horde and then to me. He let out a screech so loud that I had to cover my ears. "I can't stay!" I shouted. "My eyes are meant for daylight! I belong up _there_!"

He tilted his head and began to dig once more in his horde. While his head was under a bunch, I boldly began to crawl towards the entrance of the "room." Perhaps I could find my way back… Suddenly, I felt him tackle me and bite down hard on my right arm. I screamed in agony as he dragged me back and gave me a heavy toss onto the pile. I whined and groaned as the sharp edges poked into me. As hard as he threw me, it wasn't hard enough to go beyond some scrapes and scratches. I couldn't help but let out yell of frustration. What did he _want_?! _Why_ wouldn't he let me _leave_?!

He was suddenly right up in my face to the point that all I could see were his large blue gem eyes. I couldn't even make out the reflection of my own eyes. My breathing was short again. I didn't want to smell the rot and he pressed his knees into my torso. He held up two gems. They were two different colors. He had set his head back far enough to put the gems between us. "I…I see," I said nervously. Still, he stayed there. Slowly, I reached up and placed a finger on the sparkling green gem.

The Sableye beamed and pushed hard off my body to dart back into the pile with a happy chirp of sorts. He came back a moment later and happily held up a pair of round, cut emeralds. They reminded me of the diamond in my mother's wedding ring. He sure was proud of them. I closed my eyes and rested my head back. I could hear him make his little noises. He scrambled into a new position and pulled my eye open with one hand and dangled one of the emeralds. I said nothing, this time. He seemed so desperate to show them off since I had "chosen" them.

Then, I could hear him put the gem down and he began to point to my eye. It was uncomfortable. I didn't like things so close to my face anyway, and his sharp claw there didn't make it any better. I clenched my teeth as it poked gently at the white of my left eye. Carefully, I brought my hands up to his side and tried to pull him back slowly. Suddenly, he let out a grunt and plunged his claws about my eye. I jolted and let out a scream. He pulled back and I could feel the tension of my optic nerve. Now that my other eye was open wide, he went for that one too. He had them now, tugging gently at the nerves.

I gripped tightly about his body, but his skin was thick and he didn't seem to notice or mind. I didn't want to throw him. He had my eyes in his hands! I cried out and howled. I panted as I tried to calm myself. I let out a whine. Suddenly, he pulled on one nerve until I felt a snap, then the other.

I rested there on the pile, whimpering as he moved away. I reached up to feel the vacancies and the mess left behind. There was darkness. He had taken away…the light. I sobbed for quite some time. I'm not sure if he had gone away or not at that point. It wasn't until I quieted down from my exhaustion that I heard his little noises again. I honestly thought I felt helpless before… Now, I felt completely helpless. I was more at his mercy at that point than I ever was before.

I felt him nudging my hand. He forced me to pet him, much like a cat would do. His skin was thick and leathery. I could feel his body rumbling with what I could only assume was a purr. He…had the nerve to snuggle up with me. I was too exhausted and out of it to really retaliate. Despite the anger, the anxiety took precedent. I didn't want to be anywhere near the Sableye or the horde. I didn't want to be in the cavern. Still, I had nothing to hold onto for comfort. Garbo was gone and nobody knew I was down in that hidden place. The only thing that was alive to hold…was the Sableye.

I don't know how long I was there. It could have been days. I couldn't tell the difference anymore. I lifted my head as I heard him shuffling about the horde. I felt his presence beside me. Then I felt his claws on my face. I wanted to protest. I even tried. I remember grabbing his hands…but I was too weak to do much. I just whimpered helplessly as he began to press at the socket. I could feel the pressure of something being forced in. The roundness and the sharp cut…I was able to deduce it was the emerald he had shown me. It took a lot of care and quite some time for one…then the other. He then took my hands and placed them on his masterpiece.

I could feel them. They were so smooth. He then placed my hands on his eyes to show they were the same texture, same shape… They were the same. He purred proudly. I made little noise. I was unable to really react anymore. I don't think I'd bother, even if I could. I was already accepting that I'd be at his mercy for as long as I was alive. I'd never get home. I was home. I had my own Pokémon…all of my own. More precisely…he had me.


End file.
